Wave-power air-compressor



2 Sh eets'Sheet 1.

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W. A. WILLIAMS & H. H. TU LLERL WAVE POWER AIR COMPRESSOR.

Patented Apr. 6, 1897.

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(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 2. W. A. WILLIAMS 85 H. H. TULLER..

WAVE POWER AIR COMPRESSOR.

Mfr F.-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM ALFRED ULLIAMS AND HERRICK HOCUM TULLER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

WAVE-POWER AIR-COM PRESSOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,073, dated April 6, 1897.

Application filed March 18, 1896. Serial No. 583,760. (No model.)

T 0 at whom, it may COlLC67'lb.

Be it known that we, W'ILLIAM ALFRED WILLIAMS and HERRICK HOCUM TULLER, citizens of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in VVave-Power Air- Compressors, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements made in the construction of air-compressing pumps to be operated by the force or power of the waves and in a float for operating the same; and the same consists in certain parts and combination of parts pertaining to the pump and in certain novel construction of float and connection thereof with the pump to operate the same from or by the lifting force or power of the waves, all as hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

In the following detailed description of our invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings, that form a part of this specification.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of a wave-power air-compressing apparatus embodying our said improvements in pumps and floats. Fig. 2 is a vertical longi tudinal section through the cylinder or sections of the pump on an enlarged scale. Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section, on a still larger scale,of the first or lowest section of the pump. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section taken through the center of one of the piston-heads and the central telescoping tubes. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the float with the shell or outer skin broken away at one side. Fig. 5 is a top view of the float. Fig. 6 is a sectional View of the middle section of the pump. Fig. 7 is a front elevation of the pump and float, showing the manner of connecting the principal piston in the lowermost cylinder-section with the float.

The improvements relating to the pump have for their object to make the same selfregulating and self-adjusting while in operation, with regard both to the variations in the length of stroke or rising-and-falling movement of the float and to the changes in the working positions of the float that take place at high tide and low tide. To secure this object, the pump is constructed of several telescopic sections one capable of sliding in the other and each forming a piston to the section next above it and in which it works. Each section, when in operation, takes in air from the'outside through inlets arranged for that purpose and provided with check-valves, and air thus drawn in by the downward movement of each section is delivered directlyinto the topmost section of the pump-cylinder through or by means of a tubular conductor leading up through the center of the cylindersections to the top of the pump. The result of this construction is to make the pump more delicate in its operation, especially during quiet movements of the waves in calm weather when the strokes of'the float are comparatively short and regular, so that work is done by the pump, to some extent, as well during such conditions, when the sea is quiet, as during conditions of greater activity, when the strokes of the float are quick and abrupt and of greater extent in perpendicular movement. Each section of pump is caused to force and deliver a portion of its air into the top section of the pump independently of the other sections of which its cylinder is composed, instead of forcing it all into the cylinder-section next above it, as pumps of similar character have heretofore been considered to work.

The lowest movable section of the pump, or that section nearest to the float and in which the principal piston works, is divided into several compartments by solid disks or pistonheads, each fitted to play up and down in its own cylinder and each one forming a piston in such portion. By the vertical movement of the main piston in its upward strokes each of these disks or supplemental piston-head is operated to draw in air from the outside into its own compartment or division through valved apertures in the side of the cylinder and to force such air upward into the upper part of the pump-cylinder through the direct outlet and conducting passage formed by the central tube.

Our improvements include also a novel construction and combination of tubular guides for the reciprocating heads or pistons of the pump-sections, .the same being arranged to form a continuous air-conducting passage connecting each cylinder-section with the topmost section of the pump; also, a novel construction of continuous piston-rod and connections between the float and the rod, designed to secure a strong and rigid connection of the piston-rod to the float and to keep the rod perpendicular; also, a novel con struction of float, having for its object to obtain the greatest amount or degree of eifective lifting power or force of the waves upon the float; also, certain detail of construction and combination producing an improved air-compressing apparatus operating by wave-power.

The manner in which we proceed to construct and apply our said improvements will be understood from the accompanying drawings, that are referred to therein by letters.

A indicates a pump embodying the said improvements and composed of a stationary top section a and two telescopic sections a a B is a piston fitted to work tightly in the lowermost section and provided with apertures 1), controlled by upwardly-actin g valves b and secured on a long piston-rod O. This rod extends upward from above the piston through all the sections, and its upper end is carried through a stufting-box A at the top of the pump to the outside, while its lower end, extending from the piston downward, works through a stuffing-box A on the bottom of the lowermost pump-section.

D is a float connected to the lower end of the piston-rod and operating the pump-rod by its rising and falling movements in the guides E E. For the purpose of strengthening the piston-rod and causing the float to act upon the rod with a pulling as well as a pushing movement we connect the top end of the piston-rod with the float by means of the two cross-heads F F and the parallel connecting-rods G G, uniting the outer ends of these top and bottom cross-heads, as shown in Fig. 7.

The top end of the uppermost section of pump-cylinder terminates in an elbow a to which is joined the end of a tubular conductor R, connecting the end of the pump with a storage tank or receiver to hold the compressed air as stored. Such a receiver, constructed to withstand the pressure to which the air may be brought by the pump, is located on the framework of .the structure or upon the shore at a distance from the pumping apparatus, as circumstances may best allow,the conducting-tube B being carried from the pump to the desired point.

The cylinder-section c, that is fitted to work in the lower portion of the stationary cylinder-section in the supporting-frame, is provided on the upper end with a flanged head a having a cup-shaped packing f, to make an air-tight joint between the head and the surrounding cylinder, and with apertures through the head fitted with upwardly-acting Valves 19 tion by a fixed partition-plate H, having apertures also fitted with upwardly acting valves and into that part of the pump which is above such partition the air from all the operating parts or sections below is forced by the movements of the piston and by the movements of such ones of the telescopic sections as may be called into play through the variations in the working positions of the float produced by the changes of the tides.

One telescopic section being of smaller diameter than the other section in which it works there is formed around the upper end portion of the telescopic section and between it and the surrounding cylinder-section an air-chamber I, with which communication of the outer atmosphere is obtained through an inlet-aperture 70' and an air-pipe K.

Inlet-apertures d in the body of the sliding section below its head a 'make connection of the interior of such section with the surrounding air-chamber I, and these last-mentioned apertures are provided with inwardly-acting valves. The result of this construction is that air is taken in by each cylinder-section directly from the outside and independently of the other cylinder-sections and is forced into the topmost chamber of the pump under the pumping action of each separate part within its surrounding section.

From the center of the head of each telescopic section a tube L extends upward through the chamber of the surrounding cylinder-section, the upper end of one tube fitting into the bottom of the tube next above, but working loosely therein, so that a telescopic joint is formed between the tube of one cylinder-section and the one next above, as will be understood from Figs. 2 and 3. The purpose of this arrangement of tubes is to form a continuous conductor from the interior of each cylinder-section upward to the air-receiving chamber at the top of the pump and to make a direct connection between every individual piston-chamber and such chamber at the top. For such purpose apertures m in the lower part of each tube allow the air to pass from each cylinder-section in the tube, and checkvalves m Fig. 3, in these inlets prevent the air from flowing in the opposite direction or being drawn back again into the cylinder. In addition to this office or function the telescoping tubes form guides to center and steady the piston and the reciprocating parts and the long pistonrod.

A tight joint is made between the upper end of each tube and the tube of next larger diameter in which it works by fixing around the opening in the center of the cylinder-head a cup-shaped washer p, as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 of the drawings represents a construction for the lowermost section of a pump of large capacity and for use where the extremes of working position assumed by the float under different states of the tides are found to be very great, and in consequence thereof the strokes made by the main piston are caused to vary in length through the irregular movements of the float. In this modification the cylinder is divided into several compartments regularly decreasing in diameter one with the other from the top of the cylinder downward, and in each division is fitted to play vertically, like a piston, a solid piston head or disk M without openings through it, but having an upright tube fixed into or on the center around an aperture, through which the rod 0 of the main piston extends upward.

The central tube of each disk telescoping into the lower end of the tube of the disk next above forms both a guide to keep the disk in true level working position and a conducting passage for air from the compartment or division in which that disk works, the apertures m, located in the lower part of such tube, being provided with check-valves. These apertures are placed just above the top face of the disk for escape of air from the cylinder into this conducting-tube.

The float is constructed with the special objects in view of securing strength and buoyancy and of converting the lifting force or power of the waves into effective vertical working movement of the float. It is made either of circular outline or of rectangular outline, depending on the size required to work the pump to which it is to be connected. Its bottom is rounded at the corners a or where the sides join the bottom, and the body is formed with a wide flange D, extending all around the float, projecting horizontally from the sides of the float-body about midway between top and bottom. The function of this projecting flange is to collect and apply the vertical force or power of the waves to the float, and this it does by presenting a surface of resistance perpendicular to the wash or upward movement of the waves upon the sides of the float. The outer edge of this flange is turned downward, as shown in Fig. 4, for the purpose of preventing the water at the moment of impact from slipping outward from under the flange, thereby securing the greatest amount of lifting power in the float.

Guide-bars D fixed in pairs in horizontal position at proper distance apart to embrace each pile or upright post of the stationary frame, serve to confine the float and insure perpendicular movement of the frame. A

guide-roller D is set between each pair ofan air-compressing pump constructed of a stationary top section, and one or more telescopic sections each provided with a pistonhead on one end that works in the section surrounding it, air-outlet apertures having upwardly-acting valves, inlet-apertures in the body of said pump-section below its piston head provided with inwardly acting valves, air-inlets in the sides of the larger surrounding pump-section communicating with the atmosphere and inwardly-acting valves controlling said inlets, an air-tube fixed in the center of the piston-head of each section and extending upward through the center of its own section and into the similar tube of the section next above, openings in said tube for passage of air from the pump-section into said tube, apiston in the lowermost section of said pump having inlet-apertures with upwardlyacting valves and a piston-rod connecting said piston to the float, substantially as described.

2. The herein-described pump constructed of a stationary section, movable sections decreasing in diameter and telescoping over into the other, each section having on the end which works within the next larger section a piston-head provided with apertures and upwardly-acting valves; a tube fixed in the center of such head and extending upward through the center of the pump-section and through the corresponding head of the next larger section and having apertures in the side provided with inwardly-acting valves, and said tubes forming both a central guide for the said movable sections and a direct dischargepassage for air from each pump-section into the upper part of the pump, substantially as described.

3. The combination in an air-compressing pump, of the stationary cylinder-section, movable cylinder-sections decreasing in diameter and telescoping one into the other, a pistonhead on that end of each section which works in the next larger section, outlet-apertures in said piston-head having upwardly-acting valves, inlet-apertures in the sides of the section below its piston-head and inlet-apertures in the surrounding cylinder-section provided with inwardly-acting valves whereby each section takes in air directly from the outside, and the central tubes constituting both a guide for the said sections in their reciprocations and a telescopic air-conducting tube from the lowest to the highest section of the pump, said tube having outlet-apertures for each cylinder-section and outwardly-acting valves controlling them, substantially as described.

at. The combination with a stationary cylinder-section of a telescopic cylinder-section with chambers or compartments increasing regularly in diameter from the lowermost chamber upward, a disk valve or piston-head fitted to each chamber and seated at the bottom thereof to separate one chamber from the other, a guide-tube fixed in the center of each piston-head and extending upward through the chamber and through the center of the piston-head of the chamber above and into the cylinder-tube of that piston-head, outletapertures in each guide-tube having controlling-valves, a piston fitted to Work in the lowermost or smallest chamber and having apertures and controlling-valves, a pistonrod fixed to said piston and extending through the head of the lowermost chamber, and inlet-apertures through the sides of the pumpsection below the line of each piston-head having controlling-valves, substantially as described.

5. The combination with the pu mp-sections a of the vertically-movable piston-heads, the 

